Food Editor: Try a new brunch or waterside lunch. Sip a spirited mocktail.

The new year is six days old and I’m still feeling hopeful about the power of Buddha bowls, local greens, homemade soups and Florida citrus. This is not a result of a healthy resolution but a desire to shake off the December days I spent feeling under the weather. Rest proved to be magic, so did one friend’s turmeric-lime chicken soup, the navel oranges another friend dropped at my door and tons of love from my pandemic puppy Lenny.

By the time I polished off the last of my traditional 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, I was ready for 2023. Good thing I was – the new year has rushed in with a flurry of food-world news, from restaurant openings to new dining experiences, all signs that the local restaurant scene is growing in exciting ways. I’m tackling those stories as we speak.

For now, I’d like to linger in the sweet anticipation that comes with the first week of a new year. More than any time of year, this is when I give myself permission to dream well above the default patterns of daily life. I want to try new produce markets, dabble with new recipes, explore new restaurants at the other end of the county.

Speaking of the new year spirit…

Are you Drynuary-ing?

If you’re looking for Dry January drink options that omit the booze without giving up the cocktail spirit, here are a few of my favorite local mocktails.

The Great Pretender at Stage Kitchen. It mixes bitter Giffard aperitif syrup, hibiscus cordial, lemon and club soda. I think it tastes like a Negroni.

The Roseberry at Rocco’s Tacos. It combines fresh blueberries, rosemary, agave and classic tonic with club soda. The rosemary scent is delicious.

The Butterfly Effect at Ela Curry Kitchen. This sip gets its vibrant hue from butterfly pea flower and its light fizz from carbonated lemonade. Super refreshing!

Then there’s Planta’s new Dry January drink menu. The stylish vegan restaurant has partnered with Boisson, the New York-based, non-alcoholic beverage retailer, to dream up four drink specials. They include the No-Groni, No Problem cocktail that combines the botanical Pentire Adrift spirit, the vermouth-like Roots Divino Rosso and bitter Bite Anaperitivo.

Or not Drynuary-ing?

If that leftover holiday coquito is calling your name, it may be because the holidays aren’t quite over. While the 12th day of Christmas wrapped last night, today is Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day).

Locally, the city of Greenacres is hosting an all-day, Reyes Magos celebration at the Samuel J. Ferreri Community Park on Jog Road. The free “Fiesta de Pueblo,” which goes from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, features music and food from all over Latin America. You can find more information here.

New brunch in town

Pizzeria Sophia, the suburban Delray Beach spot that opened during the 2020 pandemic summer, is rolling out a new Sunday brunch service starting this weekend.

Popular for its New York-style pizza, the restaurant will serve a range of breakfast pizzas such as the Boca Special (smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onions and capers, $15), the Boynton Special (eggs, spinach, tomatoes, feta, tomato sauce and mozzarella, $25) and the Delray Special (fresh garlic, mozzarella, pancetta, roasted potatoes and caramelized onions, $25). The menu also includes a variety of brunch salads and mimosas.

The restaurant that takes its name from Italian film icon Sophia Loren will offer live, brunch-time music (think Sinatra classics) on the patio on some weekends.

The new brunch happens Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pizzeria Sophia: 15065 State Rd. 7, on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and US-441, suburban Delray Beach, 561-359-2606

New lunch in town

Jupiter’s 1000 North, which now serves lunch from Wednesday through Sunday with a waterway view, has rolled out a new midday menu highlighting coastal fare. It’s a well varied menu of snacks, salads and specialty entrees that include a lobster roll and a platter of Dover sole and chips that’s served with chilled pea salad, remoulade and lemon. (Peek the full menu here.)

Lunch is served from noon to 3 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A Sunday brunch menu is also offered.

1000 North: 1000 N. U.S. Hwy 1, Jupiter, 561-570-1000

Read recent columns by Liz Balmaseda

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◾What I’m craving, loving, ordering. Plus pizza obsessions + a new high tea

◾ Stone crabs, fancy Frito pies, new restaurants and other October finds.

◾ Best reasons to visit Florida's oldest steakhouse in Palm Beach County. 

◾ I'll miss this neighborhood gem, but there's some "joy" in its closing. 

◾ Goodbye to a beloved and iconic pizzeria's final location.

Liz Balmaseda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network. She covers the local food and dining beat. Follow her on Instagram and Post on Food Facebook. She can be reached by email at lbalmaseda@pbpost.com. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Food Editor: Try a new brunch, waterside lunch, sip spirited mocktails